Transkalahari Highway to Namibia

Today began our trip to Namibia to see Moses’ family and friends. We had decided that we could not take the Tazz because it is too small to be comfortable, to be safe and to carry all of our things. So we rented a Toyota Verso which is very nice; we also managed to get ourselves a good deal that included unlimited mileage. On the road we also realized another reason not to take the Tazz and that is that it is too small to go 160 km/hr comfortably, if at all! That of course was really too fast to be driving and we will drive more slowly on the way back.

We left Gaborone around 7 am, having aimed for 6 since it is a long trip – 1112 km to be exact. As always the road to Kanye was quite busy, at least to Thamaga. Around Kanye we noticed something very strange – brown and black clouds and then very dense fog. We passed through without incident and picked up the Transkalahari Highway. Then we were on to Jwaneng where we made our first pit stop and passed the Cezar Hotel where we stayed when we did this same trip almost three years ago. Outside of Jwaneng we saw our first road kill being feasted upon by a flock of huge vultures. First we saw a cow and much later a donkey, both of which had presumably been hit by vehicles. Within another hour we were in Sekoma and the sun was starting to beat down intensely and the animals were starting to seek refuge under the trees.

Beyond Sekoma one enters the Kgalagadi, otherwise known as the Kalahari. What we saw was mostly savannah, tall yellow grass waving in the breeze. By 11:15, 425 km from Gaborone, we were at the Kang Ultra Stop, one of the few places to get food and fuel along the Transkalahari. We spent too long eating lunch at the Kang Ultra Stop and were off by about 12:30. Three hours later we were finally on the border with Namibia. As we got closer to the border we appeared to pass through several San communities that looked quite poor by Botswana standards, though there were villages with small houses. I think this is evidence of the ‘remote area development’ that has been targeted at the San in Botswana. The two border posts took a while, especially the Namibian one where we had to pay a fee – in Namibian dollars or South African rands only – for bringing in our car. Also, the Otjiherero speaking soldier at the border post wanted to have a lengthy conversation with Moses. On our way through we picked up a passenger for Gobabis, 110 km away.

Once in Namibia I was surprised to see roads with no shoulders and no bus stops on the side of the ride for ‘hikers’ and others to pick up a ride. There was, however, lots of grass at the side of the road that had not been slashed. On either side of the road, as well, were very fine fences demarcating vast privately owned commercial farms. Welcome to Namibia! At THE Shell Service Station in Gobabis we met many Haimbodi family members who had been together on the farm and were waiting for our arrival. Also at the Shell Station we saw our first street children pleading for money or food; this is something one does not see in Botswana. By then it was getting quite late and it was time to finish the final leg of the journey to Windhoek. We had panoramic views on either side of us, such as I have not seen in Botswana. We watched a spectacular sunset that lit the sky with reds and blues, purples and pinks, yellows and blues. Finally, in the dark of night we arrived in Windhoek.